Refrigerator-lock



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. GANDERTON, H. J. ODONNELL 8: J.-A. TURNBULL.

REFRIGERATOR LOCK.

5 No. 545,955. Patented Sept. 10, 1895.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.-' G. GANDERTODLH. J. ODONNELL & J. A.TURNBULL.

. REFRIGERATOR LOCK.

No. 545,955. Patented Sept. 10, 1895.

UNrrE rates A'rENT Prion,

TURNBULL, or

REFRIGERATOR-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,955, dated Septmber 10, 1895.

Application filed January 31 l 8 95.

T on whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE GANDERTON, HUGH J. ODoNNELL, and JAMES A.TURN- BULL, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in thecounty of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and usefulRefrigerator-Lock, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its principal object 0 to provide a lock forrefrigerator-doors which will be capable of binding the door against thesame concurrently with and in consequence of the operation of locking.This end has been sought and attained heretofore,

and principally by providing a keeper for a swinging bolt, which keeperhas an inclined or diagonal slot capable of receiving the bolt, and asthe same swings to a locked position under the influence of itsactuating-spring it will traverse the inclined slot and thereby pinch orbind the door against the frame of the refrigerator. Now, thisarrangement has in practice been found to be disadvantageous, and toovercome the defects thereof we propose to form the keeperwith a slotperfectly true and parallel with the frame of the re frigerator and tocause the pinch referred to. above by locating the lock out of parallelwith the door, so that it will extend at a relation of about ten degreesfrom the perpendicular thereof. Thus as the bolt swings in a verticalline it will move not truly vertically, but in a line slanting at aboutten degrees from the perpendicular, which will have the desired effect,and which will not be attended by the disadvantages present inprior-devices.

The advantages of this improved structure are that the slanting of thelook as distinguished from the keeper is not productive of that weaknessin the structure which attends the slant in the keeper, thus enabling usto produce a much more durable arrangement and also one which hasincreased efficiency.

A second object of the invention is to provide means for operating thelock which will be more convenient and generally desirable than thoseheretofore used, and which will have as a distinguishing feature areciprocal rod or plunger associated with means for ionparting to it itsreciprocal movement and arranging it so that it may engage directly with-tive parts.

Serial No. 536,878- (No model.)

the bolt and swing the same byan immediate application of power.

Still further, an object of the invention is to provide means by whichthe bolt may be held incapable of movement or locked so that it will beimpossible to swing it by any means and so that it may perform thefunction of a permanent look as well asa fastening device nominally.

With these several objects in view the invention resides in variouscombinations of parts and features of construction whereby the objectsabove enumerated are attained, and which will receive more completedescription hereinafter and be finally embodied in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of one form of ourimproved lock. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a second form, thevariation being in the means for operating the latch. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of a lock in which the plunger-rod referred to hereinbefore isdispensed with. Fig. i is a vertical longitudinal section of ourinvention, the view being extended to the plunger-rod. Fig. 5 is avertical section taken through the lock and looking toward the keeperand on a line at right angles to Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is aplan view of ourlock, the inner plate of the casing hav- So ing been broken away todisclose the opera- Fig. 7 is a detail perspective of the bolt of ourimproved lock. Fig. 8 is a similar view of the swinging locking-plate.

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective of the cap-plate comprised in the casingof our lock. Fig.10 isaplan of the inner side of the casing. Fig. 11 isa side elevation of a detail.

The reference-numeral lindicatcs a portion of the refrigerator to whichour improve- 0 ments are shown as applied, and 2 the door thereof. Thedoor is to be of the usual or any preferred construction, and isconnected to the frame 1 by hinges having a vertical axis and of anyconstruction or class, with 5 this exception.

3 indicates the keeper, which is rigidly secured to the frame, and whichis formedof cast metal, and comprises lugs 4, by which it may be securedin place.

5 indicates a slot which is formed in the outer side ofthe keeper, andthrough which IOO the bolt passes in its connection and disconnectiontherewith. Directly contiguous to the slot 5, and above the same, is theparallel edge 6, which is engaged by the bolt when the lock is operatingwith the keeper, and which serves to hold the bolt in place. This edgeextends truly parallel with the frame 1, and communicates with theinside face 7 atthe outer side of the keeper, and with which theoppositely-beveled face of the bolt engages so as to automatically snapinto place, all of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

The upper end of the keeper 3 has formed therein an opening which iscircular in form and which has associated therewith, and at the innerside of the keeper, a plate 8, which has formed therein a semicircularopening concentric with the openingin the kecper,but smaller than thesame, so as to form what may be functionally termed a rabbet-groove,semicircular in shape. Within this opening in the keeper 3 the lower endof the tube 9 is arranged, and the said tube is held from downwardmovement by means of the plate 8, which bears against a portion of itslower end and effectually supports the same.

10 indicates a plate, which is rigidly secured to the frame of therefrigerator and at a point just above or on a level with the upper sideof the door 2. This plate has rigidly secured to it, or formed integraltherewith, a horizontally and forwardly projecting arm 11, the outer endof which carries the inwardly-projecting lugs 12. The lugs 12 are two innumber and are duplicates of each other, and have attheir lower outerportions the spindle 13, upon which the bell-crank lever 14 is mountedand which forms the fulcrum thereof. The bell-crank lever 14 comprisesan elongated and broadened portion, which is adapted to receive thepower for operating the lever, or, in other words, which serves as ahand or foot grasp. The lever 14 also comprises an inwardly -projectingshort arm, which lies between the lugs 12, and which engages with thevertically-reciprocating plunger-rod 15. By these means the rod 15 ispushed downwardly, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The movements of the lever 14 are limited by the lugs 16, which are twoin number, and which project out laterally, one from each side of thelever, they being secured to aportion of the same, which is offsettoward the keeper 3. These lugs 16 are adapted to engage with the outerends of the lugs 12 as the lever swings in its operation. It will beunderstood that the lugs 16 will engage the respective lugs 12 at twodifferent points namely, at the lower outer ends of said lugs 12 and ata point about the middle of said outer endsone being the limit of thedownstroke of said lever and'the other the limitof the upstroke, and thesaid limit of the upstroke is formed with slight indentations ornotches, which are provided to permit the lugs 16 to move inwardly andto thereby at tain the proper degree of movement. The lugs 12 areprovided at their lower sides and near their inner ends with a boss orshort tube 17, which has at its upper end an inwardly-extending flange,and which is adapted to receive the upper end of the tube 9, whereby thesaid tube is held in place, and by means of the flange in the boss 17the tube is prevented from upward movement.

Thus it will be seen that the tube 9 is pre- I vented from downwardmovement by the plate 8 and from upward movement by the flange in theboss 17. It will also be observed that the location of the boss 17places the rod 15 in the proper relative position to the short arm ofthe lever 14 and makes it possible for the same to properly engage therod 15.

Fig. 1 shows the tube 9 and the rod'15 as extended downwardly from thekeeper 3, and with the lever 14 arranged just above the floor or surfaceupon which the refrigerator may rest, so as to be in position foroperation by ones foot. On the other band, Fig. 2 shows the direction inwhich the tube and rod extend to be reversed, and the lever 14 arrangedat the upper portion of the refrigerator, so that it may be operated byones hand or arm. No particular advantage attaches to either form, sinceboth are substantially the same, the difference being only in thearrangement, all of which will be understood.

The lock proper will now be described. This comprises a casing havingtwo parts-the main part 18 and the cap plate 19. The main portion 18forms the outer side of the lock and the edges thereof, and is providedat said edges with the lugs 20, which are perforated for the receptionof screws, whereby the casing is held in place. The upper edge, 21 ofthe main part 18 is deeper than the lower edge, which places the outerside or face of the casing out of alignment with the door and causes thesame to extend out obliquely therefrom at an angle of about ten degreesfrom the perpendicular. The cap-plate 19 is provided at its corners withnotches, which form reduced extremities on the plate and which permitsaid extremities to fit within the notches 22 of the main part 18 of thecasing. The notches 22 of the casing, which are at the upper portionthereof and adjacent to the edge 21, are made deeper than the notches atthe lower portion, and this causes the plate 19 to be located obliquelyin the main part 18 and parallel with the outer side or face thereof.The ends of the plate 19 are provided with flanges 23, which are alignedwith the inner sides of the edges of the casing and which lie snuglyagainst the door. This construction assists in holding the plate 19 inplace, owing to the fact that the flanges engage the door with the sameresult as though the whole of the plate engaged it. Thus it will be seenthat the outer side or face of the casing and the capplate 19 extendparallel with each other, notwithstanding their oblique relation to theperpendicular of the door.

24 indicates a stud, which is formed integral with the inner side of theface-plate of the main part 18 of the casing and which proj ectsinwardly and transversely to the plate 19, against which the platebears. This stud is recessed longitudinally and threaded at said recess,and the recess is capable of and adapted to receive a screw which passesthrough the plate 19 and into thesaid recess. The stud 24 also performsthe function of holding the bolt in place, or, rather, as serving forits fulcrum. The bolt is of that class which is mounted on a fulcrum oraxis, and which swings to be engaged with and disengaged from thekeeper. It therefore comprises a free outer end 25, which is adapted toengage the keeper, an upwardly-projecting shoulder adapted to lie on theinner side of the casing and snugly against the same and forming ashoulder 26, against which the spring 27 may bear, and a curved portion28, which is so shaped to avoid the stud 29 of the main part 18 of thecasing. The under side of the bolt, at the curved portion 28, isprovided with an elongated and arc-shaped depression 30, and with a rib31, which is located directly adjacent to one side thereof and to theinner side of the curved portion 28, said rib being of a length equal toabout one-half the length of the depression 30. The purpose of thispeculiar construction will be hereinafter described.

Contiguous to the curved portion 28 of the bolt the same isenlarged andformed with an opening 32, which receives the stud 24, whereby the boltis fulcrumed. The bolt eX- tends out of the inner edge of the casingthrough the opening 33, and is provided at its extended end with acurved fin ger-grasp 34:, by which it may be operated,if so desired. Thespring 27 is held between the lugs 35 of the casing and has its free endprojected outwardly, so as to engage the shoulder 26 aforesaid and so asto give the outer end of the bolt a tendency downward. The free outerend 25 of the bolt is provided with a beveled surface 36, which isbeveled in a direction opposite to the bevel of the face 7, so that whenthe surface 36 and face7 engage, the

bolt will be automatically pushed downwardly and made to pass the face 7and ride into engagement with the edge 6.

37 indicates a locking-plate,.which is provided with a perforation inits center, whereby it is pivotally mounted on the stud 29, and with twospreading arms 38 at its lower side, which are adapted to be engaged bythe wing of a key to effect the oscillation of the plate. The upper endof the plate 37 is provided with an outwardly-projecting lug 39, whichoperates within the depression 30 of the bolt, and which is capable ofswinging throughout the length of the same, so as to engage the rib 31or to disengage the same, as may be desired. The lug 39 is formed on anupwardly-projecting arm of the plate 37, and the outer side of this armis provided with two converging beveled sides or faces, which give thearm a rounded shape and permit it to ride over the inter.- mediateprojection 40, formed integral with the casing. Located one on each sideof the projection 40 are the end projections 41, which are two in numberand which are adapted to be engaged by the .arm carrying the lug 39.Thus as the plate 37 swings on its fulcrum the said arm carrying the lug39 will be caused to ride over the intermediate projection 40 and toengage one of the end projections 41, so as to lie between said endprojection and the intermediate projection. By these means the plate 37may be held at two positions and in a secure manner. Thus it will beunderstood that by swinging the plate 37 the rib 31 and lug 39 may bemade to engage and disengage, and that when these lugs engage the boltwill be held incapable of upward movement, and thereby locked. Theswinging of the plate 37 is effected by means of a key, which may be andwhich is to be inserted through, the opening 42 of thepart 18 of thecasing, and which is to be steadied by an opening 43 of the cap plate19.

44 indicates a lug which is formed on the part 18 of the casing andmidway between the studs 24 and 29, and which is adapted to have thebolt bear against it, thereby serving to steady the operation of thesame. Thus it will be seen that the bolt is arranged within the casingso asto be actuated bythe spring 27, and so as to be kept normally.downward, it being capable of raising under the influence of a forcesufficient to overcome the influence of spring 27.

45 indicates an expansive spiral spring which embraces the stud 29, andwhich serves to hold the plate 27 down against the inner side of thecasing andto prevent the same from becoming displaced during theoperation of the lock.

The use and operation of our invention will be understood from theforegoing description, and it will be seen that the lower end of theplunger rod 15 bears against the upper side of the end 25 of the boltand pushes the same downwardly upon engagement therewith, so that thebeveled face 36 of the bolt will engage with the face 7 of the keeper 3,and owing to the operation of spring 27 will cause the two faces toengage, thereby throwing the door open. The engagement of the parts iseffected by simply allowing the two beveled faces to forcibly engageeach other, whereupon thelocking will be effected as in all other locksand latches.

Fig. 3 shows an arrangement wherein the rod 15 and its appurtenances aredispensed with, and wherein the lock is operated solely by means of thefinger-grasp 34:. Again, in Figs. 1 and2 the finger-grasp, instead ofextending horizontally from the lock, extends vertically and upwardlytherefrom. This difference in the direction in which the finger-grasp exIIO tends has no material relation to the invention, it being attainedby merely bending the bolt at a point within the casing. As the boltswings'in its operation it will move diagonally or obliquely from thedoor and will engage with the keeper which extends parallel therewith,thereby binding or pinching the door against the same and making itsconnection therewith secure. This will be well understood by referenceto the drawings, and has been referred to and explained hereinbefore. 7

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described the invention, we claim 1. The combination of a keeperhaving an edge extending parallel with the line of the surface to whichit is to be secured, a lock casing comprising a main part having anouter side face, and upper and lower edge portions, the upper edgeportion being wider than the lower so as to throw the outer side of theeasing obliquely, the casing also comprising a cap plate secured to theinner side of the easing so as to extend parallel with the outer side ofthe said main portion and having at its ends inclined flanges, the outeredges of which extend parallel with the plane of the surface to whichthe casing is to be secured, and a swinging bolt mounted between the capplate and the outer side of the main part of the casing and swinging inaline parallel with the oblique disposition of the cap plate and outerface, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a swinging bolt, a

keeper engaged by the same and operating to hold the bolt in place, anarm adapted to be rigidly secured to the same surface to which thekeeper is secured, a tube having one end connected to the arm and oneend to the keeper and held in place thereby, a rod mov ablelongitudinally in the tube and capable of engaging the bolt and ofpushing the same out of connection with the keeper, and a bellcranklever fulcrumed to the arm and capable of engaging the rod and ofoperating the same, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a keeper, a swinging bolt capable of engagementwith the same, an arm adapted to be rigidly secured to that surface towhich the keeper is secured and having two parallel lugs thereon, a tubehaving one end secured between the lugs of the arm and the other endsecured to the keeper so same with the keeper, and a bell-crank lever Ifulcrumed between the lugs of the arm and capable of engaging with thereciprocating rod, the bell-crank lever having a lug thereon whichswings with the bell-crank and engages one of the lugs of the arm so asto restrict the movements of the bell-crank lever, substantially asdescribed.

4:. In a lock, the combination of a casing, a swinging bolt mountedtherein, a spring for giving the bolt a normal tendency, the casinghaving formed thereon and adjacent to the bolt two end projections andan intermediate projection located between the end projections, and aswinging plate mounted within the casing and having a rounded armcarrying a stud, the stud being capable of engaging and locking the boltand of disengaging and releasing the same, while the rounded arm iscapable of riding over the intermediate projection of the casing and oflying adjacent to each of the end projections, whereby the swingingplate is held in place, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a swinging bolt, a keeper for engaging the same, areciprocating plunger rod operating through and having its bearing in anopening in the keeper and capable of engaging the bolt and of moving thesame out of engagement with the keeper, and an independent leveroperating in the path of and against the opposite end of saidrod forreciprocating the latter, substantially as described and for the purposeset forth.

6. The combination with a keeper, of a casing a swinging bolt thereinhaving an areshaped depression and a rib lying adjacent thereto, aspring for giving the bolt a normal tendency, and a locking platemounted Within

